3 up, 3 down: PSU 39, Northwestern 28

The good and the bad from Penn State's 39-28 win over Northwestern on Saturday:

THREE UP

1. Conservative passing game. Matt McGloin didn't air the ball out, but Bill O'Brien's conservative play-calling paid off. McGloin completed 69 percent of his passes -- none of which went farther than 19 yards -- as the passing game adopted a slow-but-steady philosophy. Allen Robinson came on strong in the second half, and McGloin found 10 different targets. Northwestern was unable to key on one receiver, and McGloin never lost his composure.